Florida’s Environmental Initiative

Florida is very progressive in terms of creating healthy, sustainable communities that foster economic prosperity and the overall quality of the environment. Green Star Biodiesel has made it a priority to support and uphold the shared ethos to protect, conserve, and recycle natural resources such as used cooking oil collected from dining establishments. Our used cooking oil program works in harmony with the health of the environment as well as that of our economy in the greater Florida region.

Did you know that the used cooking oil collected from restaurant grease traps is the very same oil that comprises more than 80 percent of biodiesel? Since this huge percentage of biodiesel is made from vegetable oil and animal fats, it is really important for sustainability to schedule regular used oil collection services for your business.

But where does biodiesel come from, and what does it mean for the climate? The majority of biodiesel is made from the same used vegetable oil used for cooking, and roughly 40 percent is made from recycled/ inedible fats or oils that are not used or consumed directly as human food. The canola and soybean oil that comprise the majority of biodiesel is essentially the same as the cooking oil you can pick up at the grocery store and use in your deep fryers. The used cooking oil made up of corn, soy, sunflower,and a variety of other vegetables become inedible when collected from your grease traps. These varieties will generally be repurposed and recycled for animal feed and other industrial purposes.It is clear to see how important it is from an environmental and climate perspective for the relationship between rising biodiesel use in the United States and the global palm oil expansion in Southeast Asia. This cyclical statistic of consumption and waste that spans globally now is a major driver of global warming, pollution and deforestation. It is more crucial than ever to be aware of the benefits inherent in having your used cooking oil professionally collected to be recycled into biodiesel and other products. This could help mitigate the devastating effects of the supply and demand here in the US. If we are able to recycle this used cooking oil and yellow grease and collect/dispose of it in an ecological manner, we can help decrease the deforestation that occurs due to palm and soy oil plantations in such places as Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and so forth. This is Green Star Biodiesel’s mission to do our part in the greater Florida area as part of this global initiative.